He Started Vaping As A Teen And Now Says Habit Is ‘Impossible To Let Go’

The debate over the health risks of Juul, vaping and e-cigarettes is now spilling into the public square.

In one of the most restrictive measures nationwide, San Francisco voters this week upheld by what looks to be a large majority — nearly 70 percent in a preliminary tally — a ban on the sale of flavored vaping products, as well as conventional menthol cigarettes.

Even before that, federal agencies had launched a wave of crackdowns against retailers that sell e-cigarettes, including the popular Juul brand, to minors. Public health advocates and officials worry these sales could be an emerging disaster, reversing years of declines in smoking.

E-cigarettes can be tiny — they might look like a pen or flash drive. When someone vapes, there’s no fire, ash or smoky odor. Instead, the devices heat up and vaporize a liquid or solid. And vaping appears to have taken off among young people.

“Believe it,” said Julien Lavandier, 21. “It’s a habit for me, you know — all the time, when I set down my schoolwork to do homework, take a rip of the Juul. When I get in my car, take a rip of the Juul.”

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